Martial Artist Certification

One-Eyed Dragon gave Hua Qiang 200 yuan, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Good kid, you did well. Keep it up tomorrow!"

Hua Qiang accepted his day's wages, delighted.

His Old Man worked from the beginning of the month to the end, never daring to arrive late or leave early. He worked himself to the bone, yet only earned 2,000 yuan a month. Hua Qiang had actually made three days' worth of his wages in a single day.

After thanking One-Eyed Dragon, Hua Qiang's eyes flickered. Somewhat embarrassed, he asked, "Brother Liu, could I use your Martial Arts Testing Instrument?"

"Oh? You want to test your blood vitality and strength?"

"Follow this passage all the way to the end, turn right. There's one in that room. Go ahead and use it."

One-Eyed Dragon generously pointed Hua Qiang in the right direction.

Most of the people in this slaughterhouse were soldiers who had retired from the front lines due to various injuries. Many had suffered a severe drop in strength, and even after recovering, were left with disabilities or lingering internal injuries that made them unfit for the front lines any longer.

The slaughterhouse had also equipped a testing instrument for them to use for entertainment in their spare time.

Hua Qiang strode forward quickly and soon vanished around the corner.

The workers looked in the direction Hua Qiang had disappeared and began discussing him.

That kid was testing his blood vitality and strength. It looked like he planned to take the Martial Arts Examination a month from now!

Time really flew. In the blink of an eye, it was college entrance examination season again.

An army of thousands crossing a single-log bridge—some rejoiced, while others grieved!

Hua Qiang had no idea how his coworkers were discussing him behind his back.

By then, he had already entered the room containing the testing equipment.

First, he placed his hand on the sensing panel. The display then showed a blood vitality value of 164.6.

Oh-ho, not bad!

This testing instrument was remarkably precise. It was accurate to the slightest fraction!

Then he clenched his right hand into a fist, poured every ounce of strength in his body into his arm, gathered it in his fist, and slammed a vicious punch into the machine.

A tremendous sound rang out. Data appeared on the testing instrument's screen, then began jumping nonstop.

125... 200... 420... 634... 815... 1253.

At last, the number stopped at 1,253 points.

Seeing that figure, delight appeared on Hua Qiang's face as well.

He had never expected his strength to far surpass the 750-kilogram standard, already nearing the level of a mid-tier Martial Artist.

And that was purely his physical strength, without any techniques or cultivation method enhancements.

If he cultivated a method and struck again afterward, his power would surely rise by quite a bit.

To be safe, he gathered his strength again and punched the instrument. In the end, the display still showed 1,253.

It was settled!

The data was definitely correct. Tomorrow, he would go to the Martial Artists Association to certify his Martial Artist status. Then he could head outside the city to slaughter mutant beasts.

Hua Qiang was convinced that slaughtering mutant beasts would earn far more Slaughter Points than slaughtering livestock. He would also be able to gain real combat experience and temper his abilities.

After leaving the room, he greeted One-Eyed Dragon and the other workers, then went outside to retrieve his bicycle and raced home like the wind.

He planned to visit the farmers' market near his home and buy some fine ingredients.

Tonight, he would prepare a lavish meal to reward his family.

He had earned 200 yuan in a day. Didn't that call for improving their standard of living a little?

At eight that evening, the whole family returned home at the same time.

The moment they opened the door, they smelled the mouthwatering aroma. When they saw the table covered in dishes, their eyes widened involuntarily.

What was going on?

Had a fox fairy come to their home and brought ingredients to cook for them?

Hua Qiang emerged from the kitchen carrying a pot of soup. Seeing his three family members still lost in another dimension, he smiled.

"Dad, Mom, little sis, you're back. The food is ready too. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

"Qiangzi, what is this? Did you make all of this?" Liu Li was the first to snap out of it, asking excitedly.

"Of course. I made some money today, so I bought some good food to improve our meals."

"What? You made money today? How much did you make? Where did you make it? And when did you learn how to cook?"

Ye Wendao pressed him with a grave expression.

Ye Bingxue stared unblinkingly at the dishes on the table, drool practically spilling from her mouth.

She had no interest in where her old brother had gotten the money.

Or why he knew how to cook.

All she knew was that she could eat a lavish meal. Why worry about so much?

Her brother was such an honest and simple person. It wasn't as though he could have done anything bad.

"Dad, Mom, eat first! We can talk later. The food won't taste good once it gets cold!"

Ye Bingxue urged them, then ran to the kitchen to wash her hands. When she returned, she served everyone's rice and immediately began eating.

She had practiced all day at her classmate's house and was starving.

"You little girl, no one else has even sat down at the table yet. You have no manners at all. When you grow up, how are you going to get married?" Liu Li gently scolded her.

"Hmph! Who said I want to get married?"

"I want to stay with all of you for my whole life. Besides, even if I do get married..."

At that point, Ye Bingxue's voice abruptly stopped. A blush crept onto her face. She glanced at Hua Qiang from the corner of her eye, lowered her head, and continued stuffing herself with food.

Ye Wendao and Liu Li noticed their daughter's little movement. They exchanged a glance, a trace of amusement flashing in their eyes.

A skyscraper more than twenty stories tall, entirely clad in curtain-wall glass, stood like a colossal beast on the south side of the base's central plaza.

Hua Qiang was quite awed when he saw the building.

Such a towering structure was as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns within the base.

At the top of the building, the four words "Martial Artists Association" shone brilliantly.

This was the only institution in China that certified Martial Artists.

It issued rewards to Martial Artists who met the requirements. After becoming a Martial Artist, one could purchase cultivation methods, combat techniques, weapons, and other items here.

Of course, if one had valuable items, they could also bring them here for trade.

After all, once they became Martial Artists, many people chose to leave the city and hunt mutant beasts.

The hides, fur, and even flesh of mutant beasts were highly sought after.

Many wealthy families in the base bought mutant beast flesh in large quantities to cook and eat, strengthening their constitutions.

Once one became a Martial Artist, making money was extremely easy.

It was already eight in the morning, and quite a few people were entering and leaving the building.

Hua Qiang noticed that some people wore masks, perhaps because they did not want to reveal their true faces and disrupt their peaceful lives.

Hua Qiang thought about it, then decided against it. With his build, wearing a mask probably would not make much difference anyway.

After entering the lobby, a young woman in a red business suit walked over and asked with a smile, "Handsome, is there anything I can help you with?"

Hua Qiang looked at the smiling, friendly young woman and returned her smile.

"I'm here to certify as a Martial Artist!"

"Martial Artist certification? All right, handsome, please come with me!"

The woman was somewhat surprised and somewhat envious. She then led Hua Qiang into a room.

Quite a few people had gathered there, all waiting for certification.

Looking at the men and women inside, dressed in all kinds of outfits and waiting excitedly, Hua Qiang's heartbeat accelerated as well.

It was impossible not to be excited. After all, he had transmigrated from Earth and was about to become one of those people he had most longed to be in his previous life—people with supreme combat power.

Even now, he still somewhat doubted whether all of this was real.

There were even some masked people in the room.

Suddenly, a figure entered his field of vision, and his brows could not help but knit slightly...